Zuma's Fear (Chapters 4 to 6)
Please note I do not own this story . I merely have permission from original writer HavocHound on fanfiction.net to post this here on his behalf. Anyways, Zuma's Fear is byfar the best Paw Patrol fanon story I have read in a long time and highly recommend it to everybody! Please enjoy! Chapter 4 For as long as he could remember, all Zuma wanted to do was live by the sea. To him, it was like being at home despite not having fins, gills, or fish scales. He sometimes wondered if he was a fish in another life, before being born a dog. His earliest memories of his life were watching the sea outside of the pet adoption center in Costal City, the waves crash against the beach and feeling the cool sea breeze against his face. That's why he was so excited to be adopted by Greg and Marsha when he learned they the sea. Floating in water, not too far from the beach, Zuma sighed and wished he could sink into the deep ocean floor and feel this sensation forever. Unbeknownst to him, a figure swimming silently underwater straight on target. The chocolate Labrador was all but deaf to the small paddles making its way toward him. His smile slowly began to disappear when his instincts began telling him something was amiss. By the time he realized it, it was too late. The figure emerged from the water and tackled him. "Ha! You're dead!" shouted a female chocolate Labrador that looked just Zuma, only she was female and had a bang of hair covering a bit of her left eye. She also had a necklace of seashells around her neck, each of them pretty and unique. "Hey, we stopped play shawks and guppies ten minutes ago!" pouted Zuma, as he glared at his grinning sister. "Shelly the Shark never stops when she's on the hunt!" proclaimed the other pup with a howl. The two pups laughed before they started splashing water at each other. 'sharks' not 'shawks', bro." "Dude, come on," said Zuma as he pounded a big splash of water into his sister's face. "Hitting my speech impaiwment is a low blow. Want me to stawt dissing you for with a night light?" "Okay, sorry dude," apologized Shelly with a smile. Watching the pups play were swimmers, surfers, and even a few dogs that were out in the ocean with their masters. Everyone who came to this area of the beach knew pups, and we're often seen as friends to everyone. It wasn't just them being playful and adorable that made them popular. Everyone knew their owners who were in charge Tiki Snack Shack in the middle of the beach which was a great place to hang out. "Dudes! Look over there!" shouted some surfer as every guy and girl with a board turned to the ocean and saw a big wave building up. "Surf's up bros!" Zuma and Shelly both looked at each other and grinned. "Belly surfing, yeah!" The two pups began to lightly dog paddle as the wave got closer and bigger with each second. Most of the surfers were already gearing up for the experience while swimmers ready to be carried away. Soon enough, the two pups cheered with everyone else as they were carried up by the big wave, riding their bellies with their paws up in the The wave drove them down back towards the sandy beach where they landed with others in a happy shout. "Dude, that was a totally awesome wave!" shouted Zuma, with joy. "Totally!" shouted Shelly, wagging her tail. She then turned over to the shack her owners owned. Despite looking like your average tiki shack, it was as big as a diner and for tables both outside and in. The place was also growing more crowded than the last time they had seen it. Turning to her brother, she said, "Hey, Zuma? Let's got help and Marsha at the shack. Looks like it's getting crowded." "Sure thing, Sis," said Zuma, following Shelly towards the Tiki Snack Shack. A few of the customers greeted the pup duo, who barked hello back, as they made their way to the counter where Marsha was accepting orders and handing out change bills. Marsha was a redhead with a ponytail and a firm surfer figure while wearing a white T-shirt she got from Hawaii and shorts that reached her knees. Behind her, working the grill, was her husband, Greg. He didn't have anything on his tattoo swimmer packed chest but a chef's apron while worked on a pair of burger patties. Unlike his wife, his swim trunks all the time which were yellow just like his short haircut. Noticing the pups, Marsha smiled at them. "Thank goodness you two arrive. We're getting swamped. Mind taking orders, and delivering food?" "You got it, Marsha!" said the siblings who were always eager to help their owners. They were the closest thing to parents that they had, and had been with them since first talk. Putting on their own pet sized green waiter aprons, the two headed out to the tables. Pretty soon the two were working like a machine. They quickly gave the orders to Marsha while accepting any food from Greg and balanced it back to the respective table. the way, they chatted with locals, regulars, or visitors to the beach while getting a few scratches on the ear or back as a reward. Those who were visiting for the first time amazed to see such a sight, but a local would quickly tell them that the two had been doing this for a long time. "Hey, Greg? Table thirteen needs an extra order of fries!" shouted Shelly, rushing over while dumping the dishes she had on her back into a grey tub. "Also, we're running ketchup for tables six and nine." "Got the spare bottles in the back. Also, catch!" shouted Greg as he flipped a chopped piece of tomato into the air. Shelly caught it in a jump and licked her lips. "Me too! Me too!" said Zuma, jumping up and down. Greg chuckled before tossing another one into the air which Zuma caught with easy. "Hmmmm." "Nice catch you two," complimented Greg with a smile. "Greg, pups, I know having fun while working is nice, but let's save it until after lunch hour?" asked Marsha with a stern look yet a smile was decorating her face. "Right, honey, I hear ya," chuckled Greg before pointing to a fried chicken wrap with bacon and ranch dressing. "I got this wrap and fries here for table fourteen. Can one send it over?" "I got it!" said Zuma, walking over so that Greg could put it on his back. "Be wight back!" Zuma exited out of the kitchen and made his way through the shack, making sure not to bump into anyone. When he reached table fourteen, he smiled and handed it young boy who was all alone and smiling at him. "Gotcha owder, dude. Enjoy." "Thanks," said the boy with spiky brown hair and a strange red and white outfit. He reached down and began to scratch Zuma's ears. "What a good pup." "Oh, yeah. That's weally good… I bet you got dogs, right? They must really love your scwatches," commented Zuma. "Yeah, they really do," he said before something of his started beeping. "Speaking of which." The human then pulled out a large blue digital pad that at first looked like but after pressing the call button he saw a the face of a young blond haired girl. "Hey, Katie. Everything okay at the Lookout?" "Everything's fine, Ryder. It's been a bit of a hassle getting Rocky to take a bath, and Marshall's accident proneness…" A large crash was heard from the other line which made Zuma, Ryder, and this Katie girl wince. "I'm good!" cried out a voice. "But everything's fine. How are the interviews for the potential additions to the team?" "Doing okay, I still have a few days left before I head home as well as a few candidates to still interview. Say hi to the pups for me, okay? I'll call again tonight," said Ryder smile. "Will do, see ya," said Katie waving goodbye. "Cool phone," said Zuma as he saw it get put away. "Thanks, but it's actually more of a tablet then anything. I call it a pup pad," said Ryder as he grabbed a fry and ate it. "Hmm, extra crispy. Thanks." "No pwoblem, dude. Enjoy," said Zuma as he made his way back to work. Along the way he saw Shelly talking to two pups dressed in lifeguard packs. The first was a male furred Newfoundland dog with a backwards combed looking haircut and had impressive muscles. The other was a shorter golden retriever with pigtails and a pink bow Walking over, he greeted the two with a high five that they returned in kind. "What's up, Samuel and Reggie? You guys on break?" "No, but Sam here wanted to see his 'future interviewer', the one you were talking to a while ago," said Reggie, rolling her eyes. Zuma raised his eyebrow upon hearing the words "future interviewer" and Shelly, seeing his confusion, giggled before explaining. "She means that human, Ryder? He's for some sort of rescue team." "Not just a rescue team! A fully staffed pup rescue team called Paw Patrol! All of them are pups, and he's looking to recruit more. One of them being a water pup," said with excitement as he puffed his chest and flexed his front legs. "And I'm going to be that pup. I am one of the best life guard's dogs we have on the beach." He kissed muscles. "Just look at my guns, ain't I right, Shelly?" Shelly ignored his flirty look and instead turned to her brother. "Wouldn't it be cool to be part of a rescue team?" "Yeah, but I'm happy just working here in the shack," said Zuma before turning back to Reggie. "If this is such a big deal, why haven't I heawd about this Paw Patrol group now?" "It's only just really started getting mentioned in the news. They've done a few rescues here and there while assisting other local rescue responders in Adventure Bay and surrounding towns. According what I learned, he wants to have at least one more member before going full time," answered Reggie. "And I'm going to be that pup!" said Samuel, wagging his tail. "Maybe if they need an ego pup," muttered Reggie, earning a glare from her partner and a laugh from the siblings. "Anyway, we wanted to know if you wanted to watch interview later today?" "Sorry, but I just got my new surf board and I'm going to go try it out later," said Shelly, yipping with excitement. "And the only weason you're doing that eawly is because you conned me into taking your cleaning shift today," muttered Zuma, with a glare. Giving an 'innocent grin, Shelly responded, "That's only because you suck at poker." "Well, if you change your mind you know where to find us," said Samuel as he turned away. "Come on, Reggie. I need go over my speech again." Reggie grumbled, "I swear if I hear that speech one more time I'm going to shove seaweed down his throat." After the two waved goodbye, they turned back to work. However, Shelly then stopped Zuma and bit her lip. "Hey, you're not upset that I'm skipping out on my chore do, are you?" Zuma gave her a smile and nuzzled her. "Welax, Sis. I'm okay with it. Just be safe, okay?" She grinned back before speeding ahead, "Race you to the kitchen!" "Hey!" laughed Zuma before chasing after her. By the time the lunch rush was ending, Zuma felt his entire paws go near numb from all the walking around he did. His sister had already left an hour ago to go try out surfboard while Zuma had to deal with the rest of the customers. Now that the rush was over, he could relax for the rest of the day since the dinner rush was usually handled his owners and the teenagers from various schools who had part time jobs here. He wasn't needed unless necessary. "Great job, Zuma. And it was really nice of you to take Shelly's shift," said Marsha as she counted the money from the lunch shift. Greg was making himself an ice cream while the rest of the place was filled with customers drinking soft drinks or finishing their paid meals. "I think somebody has earned a special extra set of treats tonight dessert." Zuma licked his lips at the thought. Okay, now it was worth it. "I'm going to see how Shelly is doing," said Zuma, as he took off his apron and tossed it to Greg who fumbled around trying to catch, only to slip and land with ice cream him. "Oops! Sowy, Gweg!" "It's okay," chuckled Greg, licking the strawberry off his face. "Just be sure to tell Shelly not to surf near Glazing Rock Point." Zuma shivered upon its mentioning. Glazing Rock Point was a dangerous place to surf with the high intense waves, pointy rocks, and the stories of how many people had injured when attempting to beat it. He didn't think Shelly was foolish enough to do that, but still his sister had always been a daredevil. Like the time she tried surfing storm. Man, was she ever grounded. Yet as Zuma made his way to the beach he paused. Going down Glazing Rock Point with a new board would be something crazy that she would do. Maybe I should just check to be sure. With as fast as his little paws could carry him, Zuma made his way towards the west end of the beach. The west end of the beach was an area nobody really went to unless it was to look at the centuries old lighthouse the town still used. It was always colder and mistier plus there were tons of rocks and cliffs that made swimming and surfing here dangerous. Occasionally, a foolish human would be dared to do so, but then that was followed immediate trip to the hospital. "Shelly?!" called out Zuma, shivering a cold breeze made his fur stick up. "Shelly?! You're not here are you?" "… help…" Zuma's ears perked up. "That sounds like…" "…help…" "Shelly!" shouted Zuma with fear as he headed into the shallow part of the water. Narrowing his eyes, he saw, on the rocks, was his sister far away, shouting for help Waves smashed into her as she would be swallowed up one minute and then resurface the next, holding on to the rock for dear life. Fear gripped Zuma's heart as he began panic. "Oh, man what do I do?! What do I do?! High tide is coming in soon!" As much as he would love to praise his swimming skills, he knew that this was too much for a pup like him. I have to get help! "Hang on, Shelly! I'm going to get help!" Rushing as fast as he could, Zuma could only pray that he would make it to the lifeguards in time. "I can hold my breath for two minutes. I once rescued a cat during high tide. And I was the best doggie paddler in my class. Did I mention I work out every day?" said grinning to an amused Ryder who was typing something in his pup pad. Reggie was sitting nearby on a rock by one of the piers on the beach, looking bored out of her human partners had to deal with a drunken disturbance on the other side of the beach and left her in charge of watching Samuel, unfortunately. "That's very impressive, Samuel," said Ryder as he then turned to Reggie. "What about you, Reggie? Do you wanna be interviewed as well?" "Thanks, but I think I'm fine with my job here," answered Reggie with a smile. "So, when can I expect my move to Adventure Bay?" asked Samuel with eagerness. Ryder chuckled. "I'll let you know my decision in a few days, Samuel. For now I'm going to-" "Help! Arf! Arf! Help!" Ryder turned his head as the other two pups noticed the yelling. Running down on the beach by the pier was Zuma, shouting for help and looking like a ghost was after Curious, Reggie barked loud enough for Zuma to notice them. When he did, his eye lit up with hope and he rushed over. "You guys gotta help me!" "What's wrong, Zuma?" asked Reggie, getting up. "It's Shelly! She surfed at Glazing Wock Point and is stuck on some wocks! The high tide is coming and I don't know how long she can stay above the water!" shouted The two pups gasped as Samuel began to shiver. "GGGGlazing RRRock PPoint?! That place is dangerous! Even we're not of the level to do rescues there!" "We need to radio in the advance level lifeguards if we're going to save your sister, this too much for us!" shouted Reggie, reaching for her radio. "But we don't have time! Shelly needs us! I'm going to save her either with you guys or not!" shouted Zuma, who looked ready to bolt, but was stopped by Ryder. "Hold on, Zuma. We're going to save your sister together. No job is too big, no pup is too small!" shouted Ryder as he rushed over to a nearby ATV that was parked. He pup pad in a holder for it up front, and put on his helmet. "Get in!" "Um, okay," said Zuma who rushed over and jumped on the back. "Life jacket deploy!" shouted Ryder pressing his pup pad. Zuma yipped as Ryder's vest seemed to pop out a bit, feeling like an actual life jacket. "Zuma, I'll need you to to Shelly! Let's go!" Zuma hanged on as Ryder drove down the pier before making a turn towards a docking area where the water was straight ahead of them. "Wyder! We're gonna head into water! Awe you cwazy?!" Ryder just laughed. "Don't worry, just watch this." He pressed another button on his pup pad as they flew off the edge. "Jet ski mode!" Jaw dropping, Zuma watched as the ATV began to transform like those robots on TV he watched with his sister and Greg. It began to turn into a real jet ski in a matter second before landing on the water. When he realized they were actually water skiing on the transforming vehicle, Zuma howled. "That was so totally awesome! Where did you get this?!" "I made it!" shouted Ryder. "Dude, you must be a super genius or something!" complimented Zuma, who couldn't help but wonder if he made stuff like this all the time. "We can discuss it later. Right now, we need to save your sister. So point the way, Zuma!" "Right!" said Zuma as he told Ryder the directions. Hang on, Sis. We're coming to get you!" Chapter 5 If it wasn't for the fact that his sister was in trouble, Zuma would have been yipping out in joy at the speeds they were going on the jet ski. Issuing the directions to Ryder, did his best to be brave as they came across the first hurtle of rocks that Glazing Rock Point was famous for. He bit his lip, hoping that Ryder was as good at driving a was making one. To his relief, the jet ski easily maneuvered the rocks. Zuma continued to hang on, and soon felt his fears replaced with excitement as they passed each of rock that they encountered. Soon, they were closer to the location where Zuma spotted Shelly on the line of rocks and pointed her out. "There she is!" "Hang on! I'm going to get closer," said Ryder as he carefully sailed forward. Shelly's ears perked up upon hearing the sound of an engine and turned her head to see her rescuers. Excited, she waved a paw and barked, but was dragged undersea the tide which was rising even higher. Both Ryder and Zuma sighed in relief when they saw her barley get back on the rocks, but it looked like she would lose her grip any second now. "Get in closer!" shouted Zuma, with worry. Ryder tried, but the waves were getting more wild and he didn't want to risk losing control. "I can't! The tide is too much!" "Shelly?! Can you swim towards us!" shouted Zuma. "My leg is cramped! I can't!" she shouted back. "Help me!" "What do we do now, Wyder?!" asked Zuma, turning to the human with pleading eyes. Ryder rubbed his chin before snapping his fingers. "I got it! Zuma, the small trunk at the end of my jet ski has rope in it. I'll tie you up and you can go get your sister." "No pwoblem! I'm one of the best doggie swimmers around!" shouted Zuma as he did as he was ordered. He found the rope and tossed it to Ryder, who proceeded to end around the Labrador's waist while the other he wrapped around the controls of the jet ski. "Okay, Zuma! Ready to get wet?" asked Ryder. "Born weady!" said Zuma as he dived into the water. He shook off the icy feeling of the cold water and focused on swimming towards his sister. The waves were rough, sending Zuma up and down, but he kept going forward with determination in his eyes. With each passing wave that he concurred he got closer to reaching his sister. Shelly reached out, hoping to get to her brother in time. This proved to be a mistake as the next wave knocked her off the rocks completely, sending screaming underwater. "Shelly! Nooo!" shouted Zuma as he dived under. Blinking his eyes so he could see clearer, he swam as fast as he could down below where he saw his sister struggling to maintain afloat. Her sore cramp prevented her moving upwards, and the pain made her yell underwater, wasting air. At last Zuma reached his sister, and wrapped his paws around her waist before pulling the rope three The rope began to pull them back to the surface as Zuma assisted by kicking upward as hard as he could. The moment they broke the surface, both pups let out big gasps and hacked water out of their mouths and noses. Seeing herself safe in her brother's paws, Shelly embraced brother and sobbed at the prospect of almost drowning. Zuma only sighed in relief that his sister was okay as he was pulled back by Ryder. "Nice rescue, Zuma. Are you okay, Shelly?" asked Ryder, helping both pups up. "Yyeah," stuttered Shelly, shaking from the cold. "Tthanks for hhhelping mme." "It was no problem, Shelly. Whenever you're in trouble, just yelp for help," said Ryder with a smile. "Now let's get you back to shore so we can get you checked out and Nodding with much vigor enthusiasm, the pups cheered as Ryder started to drive them out of Glazing Rock Point. "I cannot believe you were so stupid, Shelly!" shouted Greg back at the Tiki Snack Shack. He had been pacing for over an ten minutes, shouting and berating a teary-eyed for her earlier actions. Marsha had been wrapping her hurt leg while placing ice on it, though her glare showed that she shared her husband's feelings. Zuma, Ryder, Samuel, Reggie all stood on the side, feeling sorry for the hurt pup. "I'm sorry, Greg," muttered Shelly, lowering her head in shame. "How many times have we told you, and Zuma, that Glazing Rock Point was dangerous and you should never swim there, much less surf!" growled Greg, rubbing his temples. "Damnit, if it wasn't for your brother, and Ryder, you could have died out there!" "I know, okay! I'm sorry! I thought it would be okay if I tried surfing just a little bit during low tied, but I screwed up!" yelled Shelly, burring her face into her paws and "Please… please don't hate me…" Greg's face softened as he and Marsha looked at each other before the latter calmly took the crying pup into her arms and began to rock her. "Shelly, we could never hate You and Zuma are family to us, and we love you. We were just so worried sick about you and if we lost you…" Marsha let a tear drop down from her eye. "We're just glad safe, honey." She then proceeded to kiss her pup on the cheek. Shelly turned to Greg who sighed and ruffed up the top of her head. "Same here, kiddo. I'm more relieved than upset. Believe me." He then wagged her finger at her. grounded for two weeks though." "I understand," said Shelly as she turned to Ryder and Zuma. "Thanks for saving me." "Yes, thank you for all your help, Ryder… um, I don't know your last name," said Greg walking over and holding out his hand. Ryder chuckled before shaking it. "Just Ryder is fine. I'm just glad we could help Shelly." Zuma barked in approval before noticing something. "Hey, Shelly! You're shell necklace is gone!" Looking at her bare chest, Shelly sighed in disappointment. "I guess I lost it in the sea." "Don't worry! I'll get you a new one!" said Samuel eagerly, but was then pulled by the ear via Reggie's mouth. "Oh no you don't," she said as she dragged them away. "We are going to report back to HQ and then you're going to hold my bags when my owner and I go shopping morning." "Why do I have to do that?!" shouted Samuel, as he was dragged across the room towards the beach exit. "Because I had to listen to you prattle on about your speech all day. Payback is a b*tch," said a smirking Reggie. "Yeah, you are one," whispered Samuel before he was smacked in the face by Reggie's tail. Zuma and Ryder laughed at the sight before Ryder looked at his watch. "Well, I'd better get back to my hotel room. I'm glad everything worked out." "You're welcome at our snack shack anytime with a free meal, Ryder," said Greg, patting the boy on the back. "Thanks, sir. But you don't have to do that," said Ryder, blushing. "No way, dude. We owe you a lot for helping me save my sister," said Zuma, wagging his tail. "Will you come by tomorrow?" "Sure, I got some time after a few more interviews. See you tomorrow," said Ryder as they all waved him goodbye. Man, he's so cool. Whoever gets to be on his team is gonna have so much fun, thought Zuma as he and the others closed the shop and made for their beach home. "Wow, so you and Zuma were rescuing even before he came to Paw Patrol?" asked Marshall with amazement. "Coo!" "Zuma was really brave to go into that dangerous water," said Rocky, shivering. "I think I would faint trying to do it." "His sister sounds pretty cool," said Chase. "But how come we never heard about her, or his owners, until now. Where are they anyway?" Ryder closed his eyes and sighed, "I'm getting there, but we need to get to the next day..." Since Shelly was still hurt from here experience yesterday, and Zuma still exhausted, both pups were given the day off from working at the shack. Thankfully, it wasn't at their side of the beach thanks to the lack of people on it. Still, that didn't mean that the shack didn't have customers. With Greg and Marsha busy, Zuma decided to make a gift for his sister: a new sea shell necklace. Taking a sand bucket, he spent the last hour searching for the perfect to grab on the beach. A few friendly residents waved at him or offered to help, but he politely turned them down. He felt like he needed to do it. His bucket half full, Zuma started to check which ones looked good for a necklace when he heard his name called out. Turning around he smiled as he saw Reggie and Samuel walking towards him. "What's up, dudes?" He then turned to the down trotted Samuel and asked, "Dude, what's wrong? Who died?" "A dream, Zuma. Only a dream," muttered Samuel. "Ryder called back and said that Samuel did his best, but he didn't pass the interview," explained Reggie as he eyed her partner with sympathy. "Aw, I'm sowwy, Sam," said Zuma patting him on the shoulder. "I still think you're a gweat lifeguard pup though." "Thank, man," said Samuel with a small smile. He then puffed out his chest and made another muscled pose with his forelegs. "I guess I'll just need to continue protecting beach with my awesomeness. Paw Patrol doesn't know what they're missing with me and these babies right here. Oh, yeah." Reggie rolled her eyes and whispered, "Oh, lucky us." Zuma giggled at their antics before his stomach began to growl. "Hey, wanna grab lunch? My tweat." The two nodded enthusiastically as they made their way to the Tiki Snack Shack. However, when they got there they were treated to a surprising scene as Greg looked arguing with some young darker skinned man dressed in baggy pants and a blue hoodie. Marsha was looking with worry while Shelly looked ready to charge in and bite despite her cast. Other patrons of the store were looking either in interest or worry as the shouting got louder and louder. Sensing trouble, the three pups rushed forward just as Greg was finishing, "… and if you show up on my property again I will see to it that you are jailed for a long time!" The hooded guy snorted and shook his head. "You're making a mistake. Nobody tells Stone 'no' when he offers a deal like this. After all, there are a lot of hoodlums who make trouble around these parts." "Yeah, hoodlums like you." Greg glared and pointed this finger at the punk. "Tell your boss that I don't want his 'protection' and he can shove his offer up his pie hole. of here!" The hooded guy laughed harshly before shaking his head. "Man, you are in deep. Hope ya got a good coffin for yer funeral, buddy." "Is there trouble here," said Reggie as she stepped forward, grabbing their attention. She glared at the hooded guy, who look disinterested at the aspect of being threatened pup. "I can radio both other lifeguards and beach security to escort you off the premise if you're disturbing this place, bucko." "Yeah, and we're not afraid to drag you out by your pants either," growled Samuel. "Tsh, whatever," said the hooded figure as he walked away, making sure to give the bird as he passed by. Marsha rushed over to her husband and hugged him. "Are you okay?" "I'm fine. Punks like that are nothing," said Greg. "What happened, Gweg?" asked Zuma, concerned. "Oh, some jerk came here as a repressive of his boss, Stone or whatever," said Greg, rolling his eyes. "Apparently, he saw how successful we were and wanted us to make 'donation' so that we were protected." "Sounds like an extortion racket to me," said a new voice. They all turned towards a serious looking Ryder who walked in. "That guy sounds dangerous. He and his boss come for revenge since you disrespected them. We should call the police." "Ryder, there is no need," said Greg, shaking his head. "It's just some punk lying out of his mouth so he can get a free meal. We get those kinds of guys from time to "I wanted to make him leave with a good bite on his rump," growled Shelly. "Nobody threatens my family." "Still, maybe we should call the police, Greg," said Marsha. "Look, I'm sure it's nothing," reassured Greg, patting his wife's hand. "If you want, we'll go to the police tomorrow. For now, let's get back to work." Marsha slowly nodded her head and walked with her back to the kitchen. Zuma turned to Ryder and asked, "Do you think he'll bwing twouble?" "I don't know, it's better to be safe than sorry," said Ryder, crossing his arms. "But I can't do anything if Greg doesn't want too." "He's kind of stubborn like that," said Shelly, limping forward. "But don't worry. If any trouble does come by, me and Zuma will take care of it." Ryder leaned down and smiled before patting Shelly on the head. "I'm sure you pups can. Anyway, how about some lunch?" The pups cheered at this as they walked over to get some food. Zuma was about to follow them when Ryder stopped him. "Hey, Zuma? Mind if I talk to you in private?" "Sure thing," said Zuma as he followed Ryder away from the snack shack. When they were a few feet away, Zuma sat on his haunches and asked, "What's up?" "Well, yesterday I was very impressed with you, Zuma. Not only were you an excellent swimmer, but you were also brave, daring, and dedicated to making sure your safe and sound despite the danger." Ryder then pulled out a small tag out of his pocket and showed it to Zuma. It was orange with a white anchor on it. "Because of seeing action, and from what I've heard about you in my own investigations with people who are regulars here, I would like to offer you a position as the water rescue pup of Zuma's mouth dropped as he gazed into the dog tag with wide eyes. "Mmmme?! "Why? I've never twained to be a wescue pup like Samuel and Weggie!" "I'm looking for something special for the team I'm building, something that sets them apart from others," explained Ryder, smiling. "I think you would be a great fit with other pups." For a minute, Zuma pictured himself being a rescue pup, helping others like he had helped Shelly with Ryder yesterday. He didn't deny that working with Ryder was a feeling, and he respected him a lot. They had only met just yesterday, and already he was asking Zuma to be part of his special pup team. He couldn't help but feel honored. However, Zuma closed his eyes and gave a sad smile while shaking his head. "Sowwy, Wyder. But I'm going to have to decline." Ryder retreated his hand and waited for explanation. "I can't leave my family. Gweg and Mawsha are like my mom and dad. And I could never leave Shelly behind, never. I love it here, I'm happy with what I alweady. So as much as I would like to help you, dude, I'm afwaid the answer is no." Thankfully, Ryder didn't seem angry or that surprised as he got up and pocketed the tag. "I understand. I figured I might as well give you the option. Still, thanks for being honest." "No pwoblem, dude," said Zuma before his stomach growled again. "Uh, why don't we head over to lunch before my tummy gets even louder." Ryder laughed as he and Zuma headed back to the shack. Night came and it soon came time to close up the shack. Greg was putting away the last of the frozen foods while Marsha was packing up today's earnings. Zuma and decided to spend their time waiting by rolling a ball back and forth. Zuma never admitted it, but he always found closing time to be very unnerving. There was nobody beach at this time, and the silence was always creepy. "Hey, Gweg, can we have liver sausages and chili for dinner?" asked Zuma, licking his lips. "Sure thing, Zuma," answered Greg as he closed the door to the kitchen and prepare to lock it. That's when they first heard them. They all recognized the sound as that of an ATV, and at first they thought it was Ryder, but then it was followed by more of them. "that?" asked Shelly, lifting her ears as high as they could go. The engine sounds got louder until Zuma looked over his shoulder and gasped, "Look!" Coming towards the Tiki Snack Shack from outside were at least ten ATV's with two people riding on them. Every one of them was dressed in black pants and shirts with on top. They then started to swerve away, slowly circling the shack like it sharks. The family all huddled up together as the ATV's soon stopped and all the passengers got up, holding what looked to be long black and heavy objects. When they stepped wooden surface of the shack, and into the light, they saw what they were and their blood turned to ice. Guns. They were real guns. Not the kind that Zuma and Shelly had seen on TV when Greg watched his action movies. Not the toy looking ones they saw in their cartoons. But deadly, guns. One of the masked riders slowly walked up towards the group, strutting around like he owned the place. Slowly, he took of his helmet, revealing a young man with blond a light green dye on his bands. He had a golden earing on his right ear and a smile that seemed to hold maliciousness with it. He clapped his hands and smiled at the group, don't suppose you do late night take out do you? My boys and I are very huggry." "Who are you?" asked Greg, stepping forward to protect his family. "My name is Damian Stone," he said bowing his head before giving them a toothy grin. "And from what I heard you wanted to shove something up my pie hole was it?" Chapter 6 Warning: Extremely Graphic Coming soon!